Looking Forward
by MrsLongbottom13
Summary: "I want you to look forward, Fred said. and, as George took in the cheers of Ron and Hermione's wedding, he swore he saw Fred wink at him from the corner of his eye. Because, of course, looking forward required peripheral vision" oneshot fluff! T just cz


Looking Forward.

_Hermione looked stunning. _George thought as he saw his soon-to-be sister-in-law walking down the aisle, her brown hair with streaks of blonde was up in a neat but simple twist, and she was wearing a strapless white dress with soft pink floral accents along the bottom hem. She wasn't _ONLY HIS _Sister-in-law, no, no. She was also Harry's, who had recently married Ginny, Percy, who married Penelope, Charlie, Bill, who had beautiful Fleur, Angelina, George's own wife, and Fred.

Fred.

George remembered how Fred always used to argue with Hermione. It was playful bicker, really, same with George. More of a brother-sister thing than the huge rows she and Ron used to have, which, coincidently; she was now making vows with. He looked to his family, or what was left of it:

Molly, his mother, with her red hair that was slightly graying, who insisted on giving Hermione her old wedding dress, so she was wearing a beautiful maroon gown she had made herself. He looked at Arthur, his father, with his flaming red hair that was slowly fading and balding, wearing his nicest brown suit. He looked to Bill, his brother, with his daring red ponytail and his wife, Fleur, part Veela with her long, flowing blonde hair and robins egg blue dress. He shifted his gaze to Percy, his brother, who once betrayed their family, ignoring them for months at a time, when during the final battle, all those years ago, when he had lost Fred, and then he looked at his wife, Penelope. She was beautiful in a simple way. She wasn't striking, like Fleur, but she had a beautiful face with long, straight, chocolate brown hair. To some people, she might not be much. But, to Percy, she was everything. He looked at Charlie, who was single, his daring dragon-training brother, and finally, he looked at Fred.

_Fred? He couldn't possibly be here. He died 8 years ago. _George thought. But, he was still there, in his nice suit and tie, his arm, surprisingly solidified, around his mother's shoulders. George quickly gazed at his beautiful wife, Angelina, to see if she saw it too. She was looking with tearful eyes at Mrs. Weasley, who was loudly blowing her nose in a tissue as her sons, and her surrogate daughter for 10 years, kiss, as Hermione became her real daughter. He looked back to Fred, who, very surprisingly, was still there. He winked at him. "You may have my old girlfriend, but I'm still the better-looking sibling." He smirked and winked, and, like Mrs. Weasley sensed something was there, she glanced up at the place where Fred was, and a smile cast over her face as she placed her hand on the place where Fred's ghostly hand was. It may be a twin thing, which George could see him, but motherly instincts proved just as effective. George knew Fred was happy to see that Hermione had ended up with Ron, just as the twins had secretly predicted, much to Ron's dismay and eventually, smile, all those years ago. As he looked to George, and he looked to him, Fred said, "You know George, I'm happy to have another sister other than Ginny, our family finally feels complete. Don't be sad about me anymore, George, because I want you to look forward on the times to come, not back. I'm Fred, your twin, I always have been, and I always will be." And then, he disappeared. Gone, like he was never there. Mrs. Weasley's hand still rested on her shoulder, and George stood, agape, at his brother's disappearance.

_Was this just my mind conjuring up images, trying to get myself to feel better? _He thought. That was what he settled on. But, despite his sadness after all these years, he managed to get up on stage and say a speech for his brother, and his new sister.

"I first remember seeing Ron. A wrinkly, prunish excuse for a redhead. I remember playing tricks on him when I was a kid: putting glue on his broomstick, putting Fred and I's very early and controversial version of Puking Pastilles in his food, without an antidote. I also remember him bringing home Harry Potter and Hermione Granger all those summers ago, biggest bunch of misfits Fred and I had ever seen. I, pardon me Ron, also VIVIDLY recall the days when Ron couldn't stop talking about Hermione, I think it was fourth year all the way up until, well, still today. Sometimes he talked about their fighting. Other times he mumbled about how nice her skin was, or how her hair had turned from bushy to a nice curly texture. Early on, second year or so, Fred and I made a bet, you see. I even recall it, 'Five galleons to Fred is Hermione ends up with Ron, five to George if she ends up with Harry' Well, Here Harry is now, married to my little sister, Ginny, and, needless to say, Fred won the bet over Christmas holidays in Ickle Ronniepoo's sixth year, when he was poisoned and kept mumbling Hermione's name in his sleep. I mean, it took long enough. By this time, Neville and Luna were together, Harry and Ginny's love was clearly evident, me and Angelina were well on our way to what is not a happy marriage, and I was wondering if Ron was going to act at all. The fact that true love had most certainly hit our dear Ronniekins at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Yes, Ron. We say the way you looked at her. But, and this is hard to say for me, all jokes aside. Ron couldn't have found a better person than Hermione. Like I said earlier, it took Ron and Hermione 7 painful years full of loss to find each other's love, but I'm happy they id. I think I speak for the whole Weasley clan, our dear Fred included, that Hermione is a beautiful and strong witch who will make a valuable and very, very special member of the Weasley family. All those years ago, when I saw Harry and Hermione in my kitchen as I would many, many times in the future, I find it ironic that suddenly, we're almost a family, and will officially be when I shut up. So, instead of raising a silent toast in Fred's name, I think he would want us all to raise a very rowdy and loud toast to Ron and Hermione, and what promises to be a very beautiful marriage. So, let us never look back, as a dear, dear friend once told me, but let us look forward, because it's not good for a man to dwell in the past, he may miss what's right in front of him.

As cheers erupted, George's in the midst, he saw Fred wink out of the corner of his eye.

Because, of course, when you're looking forward, Peripheral Vision is needed.


End file.
